The Veritas Saga: Origins
by David-El
Summary: What if there was another hero who lived in Smallville the whole time?  One who also had his origins in Krypton, but was not born there?  How might Clark's history change?  Rewrite of Veritas.  READ & REVIEW!
1. Beginnings Part I

**The Veritas Saga**

**Part I: Origins**

**Chapter One: Beginnings Part One**

**c. 270 AD-Just Outside Rome**

I was finally returning to Rome, the city of my birth, after a 200 year exile. I hoped that the city would have some peace now, though I doubted the empire would. But I had to say, Aurelianus showed promise, even if he was still devoted to the Greco-Roman gods and not Yeshua. I had to say that immortality was nice, I just wished I could find _the girl_ so I could become mortal again. It was so hard not finding anyone that I could love in a romantic sense, but I knew that when I found _her_, it would be the truest of true loves. One of these days, I would have to become a poet or playwright to let these feelings out. It was with these thoughts in my mind that the two strangers appeared. They were both wearing luminescent white tunics with black shapes (possibly family crests?) over their chests. One had two hollow diamonds, one overlapping the other, with a smaller diamond in the center, with a solid diamond coming off the side, and a solid circle just outside the large hollow diamond. The other had a hollow circle with a diamond inside connected by a short line.

"You are the one called David ben-Israel?" the man with the circle crest asked. Oddly enough, they spoke Latin, though I _knew_ that they couldn't have come from Italia, they were dressed too foreign for that.

"Yes. What do you want with me?" I was surprised that they knew my birth name, especially since I'd been changing my name every ten years or so since my 'death' two hundred years ago, so I guess I wasn't very respectful.

"You will speak with more respect for the chief priest of Rao!" Sheesh, ole circle crest needed to calm down.

"Uved, be nice. You'll have to forgive Uved, sometimes he forgets that we're not at home and he doesn't have the power he does there."

"No problem. I know how much priests love power, despite the fact that they are supposed to serve. Now, who are you, and what do you want with me?" This time I was far more respectful, I liked the diamond man.

"My name is Vann-Ur. And we were hoping you could help us."

"Nice to meet you, but how can I help you? I can't get you an introduction to Caesar, if that's what you're looking for."

"No, we're not interested in meeting the dictator of a dying empire. Actually we were hoping you could hide some things for us." With that, he pulled out three stones, each one unique. One was a crystal with a black diamond with a line coming from the corner on it. The second was silver with a pentagon with two united circles inside. The third was as black as onyx with two wavy lines and a two dots, one over the top line, and the other under the bottom line. They almost looked like you could put them together to form one stone. "These are the Stones of Knowledge. They contain all the knowledge of our people. You must keep them safe and out of the reach of others until one of our people comes looking for them."

"And how will I know that one of your people is looking for them?"

"You shall ask where the seeker is from, and he/she must answer 'Krypton,' otherwise get rid of them."

"WHAT? Why?"

"Because if a human unites them, well, lets just say that the end result wouldn't be very good."

"Wait, you just said 'if a _human_ unites them.' You say that as if you aren't human."

They looked at each other, obviously contemplating whether or not to tell me the truth. Vann-Ur finally answered, "You're right, we're not human. We're from a planet called Krypton, and it's a long ways from here. Rao, while it is the name of our god, it's also the name of our sun, of a type we call a red giant."

"Alright, but why hide your library here on Earth. We're obviously far behind you in science."

"Because we intend to come here and help make Earth a paradise like Krypton. These Stones will do that, IF a Kryptonian unites them. If a human does, then they will drive the Earth to famine, war, and it's ultimate destruction."

"I see. Well, you've got your man, Vann-Ur. In fact, if your language looks anything like your crests, then I know of the perfect place to hide one of them."

"Thank you, David. And please, make sure you keep an eye on them so no one else finds them." Over the next few years, I hid the Stones across the world, checking on them every few years . . .

**1601-Paris**

"You asked for me, Cardinal Richelieu?" I asked. I was now going under the name of Athos in France, (even though I still went under the name William Shakespeare in England, and I was still publishing under the name) and had recently joined King Louis XIII's Musketeers, I had learned to read the Kryptonian language, and I had started my own company, VeV (Vino et Veritas-Wine and Truth) Limited.

"Yes, I did. We need you to find some people: the Countess Margaret Isobel Thoreaux and her two companions, Madelyn Hibbins and Brianna Withridge. They are witches, and apparently searching for the legendary Stones of Power."

"Really? Well, I will certainly track them down." _Especially considering what they're looking for,_ I added silently. "Where are they?"

"Last we heard, Castelnois de Montmiral, at the home of the Duchess Gertrude."

**1604-Castelnois de Montmiral**

After four years of searching, it was finally coming to an end. Isobel and her companions had been captured, and Magistrate Wilkins held their spell book. But of course, Wilkins had to screw everything up. "Tell me of the three Stones of Power Countess, and you may yet escape the pyre's flames"

"My book. There's a page marked."

Wilkins opened the book to the indicated page. "What means this?"

"It means the Stones of Power will be mine. And once I possess them, you shall tremble at my feet, and never again persecute my kind." She then spat some of blood onto the page and said, "Animam Remitto!" causing the symbol (which I now knew to mean water,) to glow and duplicate itself on the small of her back.

"Demon! Join your confederates!" Isobel just laughed, and once she was on the pyre, Wilkins said, "Madelyn Hibbins. Brianna Withridge. Countess Margaret Isobel Thoreaux. You have been found guilty of committing the darkest art: witchcraft. For this affront against God, I hereby condemn you to burn in the fires of hell, with which you so eagerly seek communion." He then nodded to me, and I moved to light the pyre.

The Duchess Gertrude yelled to her, "You betrayed me Isobel, so now you are going to die."

Isobel was defiant to the end. "You think this ends with a lick of flame? I sleep but awhile. And when the time is appointed, my heir will awaken me. And I will have vengeance!"

I leaned in to her, so I could whisper in her ear. "If it does happen, then know that I will be watching." I then lit the pyre, and watched the three burn . . .

**1835-Smallville**

Over the past two centuries, I had only needed to defend against one attempt to take the Stones. The fool was one Lord Cutler Beckett. Fortunately for me, he made enemies of the Pirate Lords (of which I was one, even though technically I was a privateer) and they fought him before he could even start the search. Interestingly, there was a local man, one Ezra Small, who seemed to know a lot about the stones through some prophecies (which I made sure to write down.) Of course, now I had to protect the stones even from the Kryptonians, because when I had spied on Isobel, I found out that they were planning on conquering Earth, once their leader, Jax-Ur, had finished taking power back home. Unfortunately, I had no way of permanently protecting the Stones from Kryptonians. Until I met one of the Kawatche elders, who told me the story of Naman. "According to legend, a man descended from the stars and fell in love with the mother of our people. Out of that forbidden affair, the Kawatche were born. He brought with him strange, green rocks that caused unusual effects to the people, giving rise to the skinwalkers."

"Why did he bring the rocks, and then leave them?" I asked.

"He brought them to use for trade, apparently they were of great value on his home world. But, to his great misfortune, he discovered that while here, they caused him great pain, so he left them here."

"Do you have any of these rocks?" I asked . . .

**1928-Giza Plateau**

"Well, Dr. Langford, what is it?"

"I honestly don't know. We found it under some coverstones. All we know is that it's not made from any metal we know. And that it's been buried for nearly 10,000 years."

"_10,000_ years? How is that possible?"

"Again, we don't know. Also, we found some sort of fossil underneath the 'Door to Heaven'"

"'Door to Heaven?' Why did you call it that?"

"That's the name on the coverstone. Anyway, the fossils almost look like the images of Anubis." Hmm, that was interesting, and it would bear looking into later . . .


	2. Beginnings Part II

**A/N:** Before you ask, yes I am going to try and combine SG-1 & Smallville, and I don't own anything connected to them, only Rosenzweig. The idea that the Kryptonians created the Goa'uld is from Stormatcher's story KryptoNID.

**The Veritas Saga**

**Part I: Origins**

**Chapter Two: Beginnings Part Two**

**1931-Hamburg, Brauer Watches**

"Vhat can I do for you, Mr. Rosenzweig?"

"Mr. Brauer, you trained in Denmark, correct?" He nodded. "Then you can make a clock for me?"

"Ja, I can do that. Is there anything you want me to do special with this clock?"

"Yes, I want you to base it around this cryptograph. I want it to run without it. Also, when it is placed in the clock, I want it to play this song, and when it is done, I want a hidden panel to rotate into sight. Is that too much."

"_Nein_, it shall be my masterpiece."

**1958-Gotham, NY-Wayne Public Library AKA The Great Library**

"**WHAT?** Judson, you can't honestly ask me to bring you those!"

"And why not? You've brought us the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, the Sankara Stones, Excalibur, and you even told us where to find the Fountain of Youth. What's wrong with the Stones of Knowledge?"

"Because I was once told that if a human unites them, they would destroy the world."

"But Jacob, that's why I want to bring them here, to protect the world."

"You don't understand, if _any_ human unites them, the world will be destroyed. They _can't _fall into human hands. None of them can. And since you obviously won't listen, I quit."

"And what will you do?"

"Go to Metropolis and become a reporter for the _Daily Planet_. Goodbye, Judson." I never saw Judson again . . .

**1961-Smallville**

I returned to Smallville because one of my contacts mentioned that an unusual young man had arrived. From his description, I knew he had to be Kryptonian. I eventually found him near the Talon theatre. "Excuse me, but are you Joe?"

He looked at me hesitantly, "Yes. What do you want with me?"

"I'd like to talk to you, in private."

"Alright, but I don't know what I can tell you that would be of any interest to you." I led him to a small coffee shop that was nearly abandoned. "Alright, what did you want with me?"

"I know what you are, Kryptonian. I just need to know why you're here. Are you here under Jax-Ur's orders? Are you here to unite the Stones of Knowledge and prepare for your invasion of Earth?"

"Jax-Ur? Invasion? That dictator's been dead for more than 300 years. Krypton is a peaceful planet now, with no more than a token defense force. The Council barely allows visits to other planets through our portals."

"Really? If that's true, than why are you here?"

"A . . . rite of passage you could say. My father sent me here to learn a lesson."

"Well, in that case, what do you think of Earth?"

"You humans could be a great people, you wish to be. You only lack a light to show the way to greatness."

"I'm glad we made a good impression. My name is Jacob Rosenzweig. What's yours?"

"Jor-El, son of Yar-El." It would be twelve years before I saw him again . . .

**1972-Suicide Slums-Metropolis**

I was now one of the top reporters for the_ Daily Planet_, and right now, I was working to take down the biggest of the Slum Lords, a man that went by the name of Scarface. And to do that, I was following one of his underlings, a young man named Morgan Edge. To my surprise, he was a friend of Lionel Luthor, son of Lachlan Luthor-the guy that Jor-El had stopped the day before I talked to him. Over three weeks I chronicled a growing conspiracy between Lionel, Edge, and Scarface to kill Lionel's parents and split the insurance money. Thursday of the fourth week, they carried out their plan and blew up the tenement where the Luthor's lived, and three months later, Lionel started a company he called LuthorCorp. I filed away the evidence, planning to use it later, so I could take control of LuthorCorp-after it became a giant. I then quit the _Planet_ to work on a special project I'd had my people start . . .

**1973-VeV Ltd. Research Lab-20 mi. outside Metropolis**

"So you're finally ready for a field test?"

"Yes sir. All the simulations have had positive results. Our first test will be a video camera."

"Assuming it works, where should it end up?"

"The Gotham lab, sir." The technician started up the portal generator, and sent the video through. "Video feed coming in . . . now." But the video did not look like the inside of a lab. Instead, it showed an icy plain, with a giant red sun overhead?

"Don't let anybody through. You understand? Nobody, but me and Andromeda. After we go through, tell Mr. Winfield that he is to take charge of the company until my return. Give him this as proof." I took off my piece of Aztec gold and gave it to him. I then 'jumped' to my California mansion, and called out "Andromeda! I need you."

A tall brunette appeared and asked, "What is it, Jake?"

"We're going to Krypton, Rommie. And I think I'm going to need your computer mind to help out. Turns out Rao is a red giant, and we need to figure out when it's going to go supernova. Come on, let's go." I grabbed her portable holographic emitter and 'jumped' back to the lab. We then went through the portal and soon found ourselves on Krypton.

**1973-Krypton-Outside Kandorian Border**

I activated Andromeda as soon as we arrived on Krypton, and we headed out. We soon found ourselves near a large trench surrounding a city made of crystal. We slipped down into the trench just as a shell burst nearby. Besides ourselves, there was only one man still standing, a tall, dark, charismatic man, one you knew could be trusted. He spoke to a doctor saying, "Medic, there's a civil war raging and you're wasting time. The forces of Black Zero are closing in on Kandor and I can assure you they'll wait for no one."

"You're the last of your battalion whose blood I need, Major Zod."

Major Zod was about to let the medic take his blood, when another man with white hair stopped him. When Zod greeted him, I got the shock of my life. "Jor-El. I'm guessing you're not here to cheer on the troops." I barely recognized Jor-El, and it had only been twelve years.

"Call it a mission of redemption." Then, turning to the medic, he said "I'll need all those blood samples. I can't let this project go on."

"My orders come from the Ruling Council itself. You have no authority here," the medic objected.

Zod then started to defend Jor-El. "Medic, when the most renowned scientist on Krypton tells you to stop, then you stop. If the Ruling Council wants my blood, let them find it on the battlefield!" Then, turning to his troops, he said "Let Black Zero feel the bite of your weapons and the bravery in your hearts! Soldiers, move out!"

"Thank you, Zod."

"You realize the Council won't like this. You know what you're doing?"

"Well, the Council can do what it will. But I will not let my life's work be used to commit an atrocity."

Jor-El had barely said that when everything went quiet, and a bright, white light flashed across the sky. Everyone got to the top of the trench to see what had happened. I expected to wonder what had happened, but I knew all to well. "A nuclear missile," I said, just as Jor-El whispered "Kandor."

Zod was in mourning, because his wife and son were in Kandor. But he quickly recovers, saying "There will be time for mourning later. But for now, there are questions to be answered. Who are you two, and where did you come from?" he asked me.

"My name is Jacob Rosenzweig, and I am from Metropolis, in the state of Kansas, of the planet Earth. This is my companion, a holographic AI called Andromeda."

"Earth? You're human? They must be progressing faster than we thought if they could create a portal to come here. How far has your space program progressed?"

"We've just landed on our moon. But I had help creating the portal."

"Help? What kind of help?"

"I am the Guardian of the Stones of Knowledge. I've had experience with your technology before, so I just duplicated it. Which reminds me. Are you still getting in trouble with those above you, Jor-El?"

"Always Jacob, always. Fortunately, I've become something of a celebrity since we last met." We talked for an hour, and by the time it was over, the four of us parted as friends.

**1974-Kryptonopolis**

By the time I'd spent a year on Krypton, Zod had broken the back of the Black Zero rebellion and Jor-El and Lara had adopted me as their son. I was now David-El, heir of the house of El. I had also met several other aliens, one calling themselves the Asgard (the original reason Jor-El had been working with clones, apparently they used cloning to keep their species alive, but now their genetic material was degenerating,) and the last Martian, J'onn J'onnzz. Boy, was I surprised to meet him. I also got to know Major Zod quite well, and we became fast friends. Today, however, Jor-El was going before the Council to answer for his 'crime' of stopping the cloning procedure. "Don't worry, Dad. The Council won't punish you for following your heart. Besides, Zod will back you."

"Maybe. But I'm convinced the Council will banish me to the Zone for defying them."

"That would be ironic. Sending the man who discovered the Phantom Zone _into_ the Zone. At least you'd be able to escape quickly."

It was supposed to be a closed trial, but I managed to 'jump' in and watch. "Jor-el. You stand before the ruling council charged with treason."

"The technology I created was intended to heal those afflicted by wars and disease, not to resurrect the dead through cloning."

"The orb will ensure that krypton's strongest will endure if our planet is ever destroyed."

"But if we send the orb to earth and it is opened, the clones inside will develop extraordinary abilities under their yellow sun. The humans will be powerless against them. We cannot doom another planet's future to preserve our past. We already have enough blood on our hands because of the Ultimate and the Goa'uld, we don't need to add to it."

"Perhaps you should've had more faith in your own race. You leave us no choice. The punishment for treason is banishment to the Zone. You know this better than anyone."

I was about to intervene on Jor-El's behalf, when Zod walked in. "Major Zod. Your presence is an honor, but this is a closed trial."

"Well, I demand to be heard. I may have driven Black Zero back into the ice, decimating his ranks, but my accomplishments pale next to this man's. Jor-El is the truest hero I have ever known. He has dedicated his life's work not to death, or war, but creation. When Kandor fell, many of our brightest and most promising citizens perished in an instant. Krypton lost mothers, fathers, daughters, sons. What good will come if you extinguish another life unnecessarily? I implore you all, let Jor-El live, for as you know, for him it would be a death penalty."

"Your passion is noted, Major. It is agreed. Jor-El, the council will spare your life. But you are ordered to finish the orb. You must include Major Zod's DNA, as well as your own. If that fateful day of judgment ever comes to Krypton, our survivors on Earth will be led by two of our greatest heroes."

A few weeks later, Zod came by to give his blood and settle Jor-El's debt. "The council's demand has been met, the orb is ready."

"Which is why I hope you will understand why I need you to do something for me." He pulled out a locket, which looked like it had a lock of blonde hair in it. My wife gave me this before I went to the war, so I could always keep my most precious treasure close to my heart. It's all I have left of my son. My friend, I beg of you . . . use these fragile cells to bring my boy back to me, so I can hold him in my arms again."

"But it's not an exact science, Zod. There could be complications, mutations. Remember the Ultimate and the destruction he has caused over the past millennia! Do you want your son to end up like it?"

"No, no, no, no. D-don't give me excuses. This is my son. You could bring him back to me."

"But we cannot change the past, Zod."

"After everything I've done for you, how dare you deny me this request?"

"We do not have the right."

"Think of how you'd feel if this was your son, or even David. Please." Zod was actually _begging_ Jor-El to help.

"I'm sorry."

"Then you are as dead to me as my son."

I stopped Zod before he left. "I truly am sorry, Zod. If I thought I could change his mind, I would have spoken up. If I knew how, I would do it myself. Unfortunately, Earth has no knowledge of cloning. Heck, we haven't even mapped our DNA yet."

"I understand David. And know this, I will always count you as a friend for this. If you need anything, anything at all, ask me and I will do what I can."


	3. Beginnings Part III

**The Veritas Saga**

**Part I: Origins**

**Chapter Three: Beginnings Part Three**

**1979-House of El Mansion-Outside Corril**

It had been five years since the end of the Black Zero Rebellion, and I had learned much in that time, and I was getting back to being my old self-a man that looked to the future and defended his friends, an optimist. Not someone like Luthor who would sell out even his family if it benefited him. Also, I met my adopted extended family, consisting of only Uncle Zor-El and his daughter, Kara, they lived in the newly rebuilt Kandor. I also became an expert on the evolution of stars, and by my calculations, and backed up by Andromeda's own observations, Rao had no more than seven years to live. Unfortunately, whenever I brought up Rao's impending destruction-and thus the death of Krypton-no one paid me any attention. Jor-El was more worried about core instabilities; Zor-El was focused on outdoing Jor-El in whatever he could; and the Council said that Rao simply _could not_ go supernova, just because it was Rao.

I was going over the latest sensor data from the solar probes I'd had launched over the past two years, when Zod came by to see me. He was now General Zod, Commander-in-Chief of all Kryptonian military forces, answerable only to the Council. He had aged much in the past five years, between grieving for his family and the pressures of his job, he was starting to lose his hair. His hairline formed a V above his forehead, and his hair was starting to gray at the temples. "And what is it that the great General Zod wants from the alien son of Jor-El?"

"As if I need a reason to visit an old friend?"

"These days, in your position, yes."

"Alright, I confess. I did come here for a reason. Did you know that the Council is planning to cut Krypton off from the rest of the universe, destroy all portals to other worlds, including the Stargate and portals?"

"WHAT? They can't do that! We haven't even delivered the orb to Earth yet."

"That's the only thing holding them back. I need your help David. I'm planning on overthrowing the Council and set up a new, progressive government that _encourages_ contact with alien species, building an alliance of planets that could help each other, and even build a fleet of ships to meet them and settle uninhabited planets. Will you help me?"

How could I say no to that, or to him? The possibilities staggered my mind, thousands of potential new species to meet, aliens coming to Earth and bringing about a Golden Age of peace. "Count me in, General Zod."

**March, 1985-House of El Mansion**

I was only with Zod's rebellion for two years before I left. In that time, I realized that my friend had died sometime in the past three years and had been replaced by a ruthless dictator with dreams of dominating the universe. If any of his men failed, they were executed. If he took any high ranking prisoners, they were thrown in the Phantom Zone. Any dissidents were given an unusual disease that started as a bruise on the left shoulder and killed in hours, the only relief for the pain was the green gem that was used in some jewelry and as money. In that time, however Zod had taken control of more than half of Krypton, including the capital city of Kryptonopolis.

After I left Zod's army, I went back home to my parents, and joined the Council's army to defend Krypton against Zod. I was given one job, to eliminate (assassinate) Zod's Ring of Strength, while Jor-El was given the job of constructing Dax-Ur's Brain Inter-Active Construct, an AI that the Council hoped would turn the tide against Zod. Over the next few years, I killed nearly all of them and Jor-El was given a seat on the Council. Unfortunately, Brainiac was captured by Zod, and was quickly corrupted, giving me one more target to eliminate. By the time four years had passed, the Council decided that I had done enough work to be given an eight month furlough. Now, Jor-El was starting to remind me of two human actors, he sounded like one actor and look like another-he sounded like Terence Stamp-a minor British actor, and looked like the big star Marlon Brando. I had barely been home for two months before the Disciples of Zod (Faora-Zod, Nam-Ek, and Aethyr-Ka) broke into our home and took us, and Jor-El's assistant, Raya, to Zod's palace. "Welcome back my friends. I hope that you can help me out with a problem."

"Why would we?" Jor-El asked.

"Because if you don't, I'll have Lara thrown into the Zone, Jor-El. Now, I want you to figure out a way to give my soldiers powers similar to the Green Lanterns of Oa, while we're under Rao."

"But I'm an astrophysicist, not a geneticist. How am I supposed to figure that out?"

"That's your problem. And if you don't, I will still throw Lara into the Zone."

**October, 1985-Zod's Palace-Kryptonopolis**

For the next few months, we tried to figure out how superhuman abilities worked, and came up with nothing. Then I got an idea from _Star Trek_: try to base blood on something besides iron. First thing we did was add in Kryptonian genes to my blood (I volunteered myself as the guinea pig, while Jor-El provided the genes,) and then worked on replacing the iron with the basic Kryptonian gem-the basis of all Kryptonian structures, just like iron and concrete was on Earth. We quickly discovered that if the crystalline blood mixed with the iron blood, leukemia would quickly develop. Just one more complication in an already complicated procedure. Eventually, we replaced the iron in my body with the crystal. That was when I thought of something.

"Dad, we could escape now and Zod will think it's because we succeeded."

"You mean your teleporting ability?"

"Exactly. I know where he's probably holding Mom. I can 'jump' us there, pick up Mom, and 'jump' home. Easy as pie." Fortunately, the plan worked, and we were safely at home before anyone knew there was trouble.

**October, 1986-El Mansion**

When we arrived home, J'onn was quick to tell us that Zor-El was the one responsible for us getting captured by Zod's forces, something I could completely believe. By April, we had not been able to prove it, but there was some good news, Lara was four months pregnant! She even came home with a name, Kal-El (she said that Kara had given her the idea when they were visiting Earth.) Jor-El and I both approved of the name, not only did it sound good, it also had historical significance. Kal-Ik had been an advisor to one of the kings of the Kryptonian city-states many centuries before. The other advisors to the king told him what he wanted to hear, but Kal-Ik told the truth, at the cost of his life. Starting that day, Kal eventually came to mean 'truth'.

By the time Kal had been born, it had become obvious that Krypton was in its last days. Rao was clearly in it's last stages, the core was about to explode, and the Council still refused to do anything about them until Zod had fallen from power. Fortunately, we did gain in some ways from their one track mind as Zod was losing ground almost everywhere. And now, we had finally captured Zod and his wife, Faora. Their bodies were destroyed, while their souls were sent to the Phantom Zone. Brainiac, Aethyr and Nam-Ek had disappeared, leaving only a handful of followers left. By then, Rommie, Jor-El, Raya, and I had completed a ship that would allow Kal-El to get to Earth by the time he was three. "Put him inside, Lara. Our time is passed, the hourglass is empty." By now, the earthquakes that signaled Krypton's end had started, and Rao was already starting to fall in on itself. The hourglass was truly empty, Krypton was doomed.

"What if they don't love him?"

"His destiny is set, as is ours."

"Goodbye, my sweet Kal-El."

"David, make sure the ship is launched."

"Of course, Father. But do you want me to give him the Signet Ring?" The Signet ring was a ring made of something the Guardians of Oa called "the Blue Element," in the shape of the El crest, and had been passed down to the eldest son of the House of El for generations.

"No, it belongs to you. YOU are my oldest son, not Kal-El. Is the message prepared?" The message was one that we had prepared for Kal's ship, for him to read when he was older. It said: _On this third planet from this star Sol, you will be a god among men. They are a flawed race. But they can be a great people Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show them the way. That is where your greatness lies. For this reason above all others-their capacity for good, I have sent them you._

"Yes, it's ready. Just throw Raya in the Zone and I'll launch the ship."

"When I get out, I'll give you a good hit for that."

"For what, Raya?"

"Telling him to throw me in there like a common prisoner."

"I'll look forward to that." They left, and I was alone with my little brother, for a few seconds.

That was when Brainiac showed up and walked towards the ship. I charged him, but he threw me like a rag doll. He picked Kal-El up, out of his ship, put him in his cradle and pulled out a large dagger-like rock and prepared to stab him. "Not every little boy grows up to be a hero." Fortunately, Kara showed up and grabbed the dagger. But Brainiac tossed her into the far wall, saying "Kal-El will _die_ on Krypton. And now you will share his fate. But before it could say anything else, a young man-who looked a lot like Jor-El did in the sixties, showed up and said "I won't let that happen. You're going to release Lana."

"You can't stop me, Kal-El." WHAT? What did he mean, Kal-El? Then Kara told him "Clark, the baby!"

Brainiac then grabbed Clark and pushed him against the wall, saying "There's no yellow sun to charge you here." While it was occupied with Clark, I grabbed Kal-El and put him back in the ship, closed it and launched it on it's preprogrammed flight path. "You're not in Kansas anymore," Brainiac said, just before Kara stabbed him through the chest.

Clark turned towards us just as the ship left. "Who are you?" I asked.

"You'll know, in about 20 years," he said. Then he and Kara left for a portal. I realized that I needed to do the same, so I grabbed the Orb and jumped to my portal, where Rommie said she'd meet me. Unfortunately, all I found was her holographic device, smashed to pieces, so I went through alone, just as Rao blew up. _A world disintegrating in hellish green flames [Vision of Ezra Small: Line 9_.]

**October 1989-Smallville**

When I returned, I quickly took the reins of VeV Ltmd. and got myself caught up on events here. That was how I discovered the secret society called Veritas. Dr. Virgil Swann had formed it to prepare for the coming of an alien visitor they called the Traveler. He had gathered some of the greatest minds and richest men around him: Edward and Genevieve Teague, two descendents of the Duchess Gertrude; Thomas Wayne, head of Wayne Enterprises; Bridgette Crosby, Dr. Swann's lover, and apparently a genius; Robert and Laura Queen, heads of Queen Industries; Charles Xavier, a renowned geneticist; Dr. Reed Richards, a young, but brilliant physicist; and Lionel Luthor, head of LuthorCorp. I quickly got myself invited to one of the meetings, and eventually became a full-fledged member. It was after one of these meetings, when I found out that Swann had my cryptograph, that I decided where to hide the orb. I jumped to St. Kilda and hid the orb inside the fireplace, behind an image of the North Star.

Then, in 1988, we found out that Thomas Wayne and his wife, Martha, had been murdered in Gotham. When I interviewed Joe Chill, I found out that he had been paid to kill Wayne by Genevieve Teague. His murder was followed the next year by the deaths of Robert and Laura Queen. But I couldn't look into their deaths, because I knew that Kal-El would be coming soon. Also, knowing Jor-El, I knew exactly where he'd land-Smallville, Kansas. When I arrived on October 16, I immediately took a place on the summit of Watchtower Hill and waited for his ship to arrive. In the town, it looked like they had just finished with a football game, that they had won. That's when I saw the first meteor crash into a field. _"_Over her sweet shoulder, Hovers a portent, The mother adores unaware _[Prophecies of Ezra Small, Series 2: Lines 1-3]_" I quoted. And I was right, the one was just the beginning. For more than an hour, I watched as meteors fell throughout the town. Then I saw a dozen headed straight for me. I jumped, and knew no more.


	4. Meetings

**The Veritas Saga**

**Part I: Origins**

**Chapter Four: Meetings**

**August, 1992-Smallville**

My name is David Williams, I was born October 4, 1986, and I am the foster son of Charles and Lucy Williams. They own the farm just to the north of the Kent's. Today, we were hiking through Palmer's Woods when I saw a small, blue shape blur past us. I decided to run after it and try to find out what it was. I quickly outdistanced my parents, to the point where I couldn't see them anymore, and then _whoom!_ I suddenly appeared fifty feet away, right where I had wanted to be. Now how in the world had that happened? I thought about my room, thinking that if I was there, I might be able to figure out what happened. Then another _whoom!_ and I was there. Over the next few weeks, I quickly learned to control it, and hide my ability from my foster-parents. If they knew what I could do . . . well, let's just say it wouldn't be nice for me. They rent some of their land to the military to use for missile silos for Pete's sake! My ability made me wonder if anyone else had abilities, and I started investigating. What I found was surprising to say the least. Nearly everywhere I turned, something strange was happening in Smallville. I managed to get my hands on the articles, and started a scrapbook.

**1999-Metropolis**

Charles was taking me with him on a business trip just before school started, when I saw _her_ for the first time. At first glance she didn't seem like much, just another short blonde girl with her father. But when she came up to me and started talking to me, I finally understood a song that had just started playing on the radio.

_I like blue eyes, hers are green_

_Not like the woman of my dreams_

_And her hair's not quite_

_As long as I had planned_

_Five foot three isn't tall_

_She's not the girl_

_I pictured at all_

_In those paint-by-number_

_Fantasies I've had_

_So it took me by complete surprise_

_When my heart got lost in those deep green eyes_

_She's not at all what I was looking for_

_She's More_

_No it wasn't at first sight_

_But the moment I looked twice_

_I saw the woman I was born to love_

_Her laughter fills my soul_

_And when I hold her_

_I don't want to let go_

_When it comes to her_

_I can't get enough_

_So it took me by complete surprise_

_When my heart got lost in those deep green eyes_

_She's not at all what I was looking for_

_She's More_

_More than I dreamed of_

_More than any man deserves_

_I couldn't ask for more_

_Than a love like hers_

_So it took me by complete surprise_

_When my heart got lost in those deep green eyes_

_She's not at all what I was looking for_

_She's More_

"My name's Chloe. What's yours?"

"David Williams. What are you doing here in Metropolis?"

"Oh, we're just passing through. We had lived in Granville, but now we're moving to Middle-of-Nowhere, Kansas."

"Middle-of-Nowhere, Kansas?"

"Some tiny place I'm betting you've never heard of. Smallville. So much for my dream of working for the _Planet._"

"You'd have lost the bet."

"You mean you have heard of it?"

"Are you kidding? I live there! And trust me, there's lots of things to write about."

"Really?"

"When you get settled in, look me up. Ask for the Williams farm. If you're willing, I'll show you SOW."

"Sow? Why would I want to look an a pig?"

"No, not sow. S.O.W. I'll explain when you get there. Trust me, if you want to work for the _Daily Planet_, you couldn't pick a better place to start then Smallville."

**September, 1999-Smallville**

Chloe showed up about two weeks later on the first day of school. She quickly won Clark and Pete over as friends, and even got Clark to show her the farm. The next day, I took her over to an empty classroom. "Why are we here?"

"If I'm lucky, and can convince Principle Kwan, this is going to be the home of _The Torch_, our school newspaper."

"You mean it doesn't even have a newspaper?"

"Not for about 10 years. It suffered a near miss from the meteor shower and some of the meteor rock destroyed the printing press. The school never got around to replacing it. Then again, I was the only person interested in journalism. But that's something for later this week. We're actually here for this." I turned to one of the dust-covered desks, opened one of the drawers, and pulled out SOW. "I call it the Scrapbook of Weird. It's many of the strange, bizarre and unexplained events in Smallville since the meteor shower. That's when it all began, and the town went schizo."

"'Many of?' You mean there's more?"

"There are dozens more out there that are 100% true, and probably hundreds that are most likely true, but if I wanted to add them, I'd need a whole _wall_ for the stories. Until we get a journalism department, I'm keeping this a scrapbook."

"You were right. This _is_ the perfect launching pad for a career at the _Planet._" The next day, Principle Kwan announced the reopening of the Smallville High _Torch_, assuming at least four people sign up for it. Besides Chloe and myself, Brendan Nash signed up as a photographer, and Justin Gaines as a comic artist. Chloe even managed to finagle Clark and Pete as reporters. Over the next two years, we managed it so that Pete would write about sports and other 'guy stuff,' Chloe and I would focus on the weird and unexplained, while Clark worked on a potpourri of articles.


	5. Repercussions

**A/N:** I'm going to keep adding dates, but remember that they are completely conjectural. The dates are best guesses, assuming that they take place some time around when the episode aired. And the song lyrics are for Geoff Moore & The Distance's _If You Could See What I See_. _Italics_ are for song lyrics, _**bold italics**_ are for show events not seen by David. And the lyrics for _She's More_ are in Meetings.

**The Veritas Saga**

**Part I: Origins**

**Chapter Five: Repercussions**

**October 17, 2001-Smallville**

Chloe, Pete and I were on the bus to Smallville High, when Pete asked "Want to try to win your money back, Chloe?" It had become a common ritual of theirs to bet on whether or not Clark would make it. Chloe always bet on Clark, and she won almost as often as she lost. If I didn't know better, I'd have sworn they'd been using the same $5 bill for the past two years.

"Sure." Unfortunately for Chloe, Clark didn't make it. "I still can't believe you bet against your best friend."

"Statistical fact: if Clark moved any slower, he'd be extinct."

I looked back Pete and said, "I'll take that bet." Both of them looked at me odd until I explained. "Double or nothing says Clark is at school by the time we get there."

"Done. Easiest ten bucks I ever made." Chloe turned me down. We had some relative peace the rest of the trip, until we made it to school when Pete asked Chloe, "So, has anyone asked you out to the dance yet?" Chloe and I looked at each other for a brief second and then down at the ground, we'd been avoiding the subject of the dance for a couple days now. "Alright, one of you, confess. What happened to the dream team?"

"I already asked Chloe to the dance, Pete. The thing is, I'm the _only_ one who asked her, so it's kind of a sore subject."

"Oh, so nothing from Clark?"

"Pete, do you want to take a commercial break from the soap opera in your head? I've told you a hundred times, I'm not interested in Clark!"

"Your vehement denial has been noted." Just at that moment, Clark showed up saying, "Hi guys."

Chloe stammered until she eventually got something out that said "How did you get here?" Pete took that opportunity to reluctantly hand me a ten. I don't know why, but they wanted to keep their betting about Clark a secret.

"I took a short-cut." That was such a lame excuse that I'm surprised that the others didn't see right through it.

"Through what, a black hole?" Pete dismissively explained Chloe's question, while he said that he and Clark had to hand in permission slips for the football team. Clark was just saying that joining the team might not be a good idea when Chloe said, "Wait a minute, you two are trying out for the football team? What is this, some sort of teen suicide pact?"

Pete pulled her aside whispering, "We're trying to avoid becoming this years Scarecrow."

"Wait a minute, you mean that's for real? I thought it was just a legend."

"What are you guys talking about, and why are we whispering?"

I quickly explained. "It's a homecoming tradition. Every year, the football team chooses some unlucky freshman, strips him down to his boxers, and paint an "S" on his chest. Then they string him up like a scarecrow in Riley Field. There's been some extra bad luck believed to follow the "scarecrow" for the past twelve years, ever since Jeremy Creek almost got hit the day of the meteors."

"What do you mean, 'almost got hit'?"

"Riley Field got hit by the first meteor that day, and Jeremy was only fifteen yards away." Just then, Clark noticed Lana was nearby, and thus began another bet. I simply raised a five and started counting down, while Pete and Chloe set times that he would fall: Chloe said at five seconds after Pete started counting, Pete guessed ten. Just as I said "now" and Pete hit five, Clark fell, making me & Chloe the winners of the bet. "Statistical fact: Clark Kent can't get within five feet of Lana Lang without turning into a total freak show."

"You know, Chloe, I'm not so sure that it's Lana that makes Clark into a klutz. I think it might actually be her necklace."

"What about her necklace, Dave? It's just a plain necklace."

"With a piece of cut meteor rock in the center. Ms. Potter gave it to her as a 'new birthday' present the day she adopted Lana. I think Clark might get sick around the meteor rocks."

"You mean like the way you do? That's weird."

"Why do you think I'm so interested in them Chloe? I want to know why I get sick around them. Oh, by the way, I've got that filler story you wanted, but I think it should actually be page one."

"Yeah, what is it?" I handed her my article: _Smallville's First Billionaire: Lex Luthor takes over plant, claims castle as home_. Definitely not a story for Pete's eyes, especially since he blamed the Luthor's for all his families woes. Chloe took my article and walked to the _Torch_; I would have followed her, but I noticed a young man standing in front of the trophy case. He seemed vaguely familiar, so I snapped a photo of him.

"David, you do know that the bell has rung, right?"

I turned around and said, "Yeah, I'm going Principal Kwan." Then the guy punched the glass and pulled out a photo of three football jocks, saying "It's payback time." Kwan apparently forgot all about me, and ran to the kid telling him to go to his office immediately, but he electrocuted Kwan, sending him flying into the opposite wall. I ran off to my class, hoping he hadn't seen me.

That afternoon, I was standing on Loeb Bridge trying to figure out who the strange kid was, when a truck rumbled by, accidentally dropping a bale of barbed wire onto the bridge. I heard the _vroom_ of the powerful engine of an expensive car, and I knew it had to be Luthor, no one else could afford a car like the one I heard. Then I noticed that the engine was getting louder, meaning he was coming this way, and he would hit the bale. _Great, yesterday I wrote about his arrival. Today I get to write about his death. Hmm, _Luthor dies in fatal car accident at Loeb Bridge_, that sounds like a good place to start._ I pulled my video camera out of my backpack and started filming. Lex hit the bale as I expected, and then swerved, hitting Clark full on the chest! I hadn't even realized that Clark was here! I jumped to where Lex and Clark went off the bridge, hoping to see their bodies, but the Elbow River was as murky as the Hudson. That's when I got the shock of my life, as Clark pulled Luthor out of the water and started giving him CPR. I could see they were all right, but I still called 911, just to be safe.

After the ambulance and cops arrived, I went down to the bank and walked up to Luthor. "Mr. Luthor! Could I ask you a few questions about the accident?"

"Who are you? You're obviously too young to be from my insurance company. Oh, and please don't call me 'Mr. Luthor,' that's my father. Call me Lex."

"Alright, Lex. My name is David Williams, and I'm a reporter for the _Torch_. I'm also apparently the only witness." Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Jonathan and Clark wince at the idea of a witness. Knowing what I know now, I can understand why.

"I thought that the _Ledger_ was the local paper?"

"The _Torch_ is our school paper. Now, about the accident . . ." A few minutes later, we finished our interview, and Lex asked me a question. "You said you saw the accident? What did you see?"

"I saw your car hit the bale, swerve into the railing, and fall into the river. Then Clark dived in. I'm surprised you survived, the railing nearly ripped your roof off. Why'd you ask?"

"It's nothing. It's just . . . I could have sworn I hit Clark."

"If you want, I've got video of the accident. I can drop by your mansion after the Farmers' Market on Saturday."

"That's fine, or I could save you a trip and meet you there."

"That's generous, Lex. But I was really hoping to see your castle."

"Well, in that case, how about I pick you up Saturday, and we can watch it together."

"Fine by me, Lex." Boy, was I in trouble. How was I supposed to make the video look like the story I told? I had no idea how to edit a video, and if I took Chloe in my confidence, there was no telling what she'd do about Clark's secret.

**October 19, 2001**

Chloe and Pete had just come into the _Torch_ with the picture of a guy that they wanted to look into, when I recognized him. "You don't need to look him up. I already know who he is." Four hours later, Clark showed up and we explained what we knew. "His name is Jeremy Creek. This is a photo of him taken about 12 years ago," I put down the 1988 yearbook, "and these are photos taken over the past week by Chloe and myself."

Clark was skeptical. "That's impossible, he'd be like 26 now. It must be just some kid that looks like him." Then Chloe explained what we'd found on him: he'd been in a coma for the past 12 years, where he suffered from a major electrolyte imbalance, until a huge lightning storm hit, giving him a major charge. "So now he's back in Smallville, putting former jocks in comas. Why?"

"I told you that on Wednesday, Clark. Jeremy had been chosen as the Scarecrow the day of the meteors. It's almost the oldest motive in the book: he wants revenge." Clark still couldn't believe it, so Pete told Chloe to 'show him.'

"It's David's project. So, do we show him?" I nodded, and we led him to the _Torch_'s darkroom. "It started out as a scrapbook and Chloe just forced a mutation on it."

"What is it?"

"We call it the Wall of Weird. It's every strange and bizarre event that's happened in Smallville since the meteor shower. That's when it all began, and the town went schizo," Chloe said.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"Do you tell me everything that happens in your life Clark? We all keep secrets, Clark."

"Yeah, some are just bigger than others," I said. Clark then just ran out. "What was that about?" Then I noticed the _Times_ Cover Article titled _Heartbreak in the Heartland_. Oh, of course. That would set him off, considering it was Lana on the cover. By now, Pete had walked off, probably looking for a last-minute date. Which reminded me . . . "Hey, Chloe? Since it's the day of the dance, would you mind giving me an answer?"

"Tell you what, I'll make a deal with you. I know how much you love the violin, so if you promise to play a song at the dance, I'll go with you." I immediately agreed, I already knew what songs to play.

That night, I put on my tux and grabbed my violin to pick Chloe up. When we arrived, I immediately spoke to the DJ about doing a live song during the dance. Naturally, Lana was crowned Homecoming Queen, with Whitney as her King. Around 7, I asked the DJ to stop the songs at the end of the one that was playing. When he did so, I went to the stage and said, "Excuse me. Listen, I'm sorry about the music you were listening to, but I have a promise to keep. As you probably noticed, I came with Chloe Sullivan. The only reason she agreed to come with me is because I agreed to do a live song. Well Chloe one that will sound like it was written all about you." At that, the crowd started to laugh, but I ignored them and started to play "She's More." When I finished the first verse, everyone agreed that it did describe Chloe, but they didn't get why I was playing it, until I hit the chorus. By the time I finished, everyone was crying out for more. "Alright, since you demand it, I do have one more song to play, but that is it." Then I started into my second song:

_All of my life_

_I have dreamed_

_That somehow love would find me_

_Now I can believe_

_You're standing here_

_If beauty is all_

_in the eyeof the beholder then I_

_Wish you could see_

_the love for you that lives in me_

_**"Jeremy, you need to stop this"**_

_**"I don't know how you got here, but you were safer where you were."**_

_And you would know you have my hear__t_

_If you could see, what I see_

_that a treasure's what you are_

_If you could see, what I see_

_Created to be_

_the only one for me_

_If you could see, what I see_

_I know there are days_

_when you fee__l_

_so much less than ideal_

_Wondering what I see in you_

_It's all of the ligh__t_

_and the grace_

_your belief in me drives me to say_

_that I promise youa faithful love, forever true_

_**"Give it up Jeremy."**_

_And you would know you have my heart_

_If you could see, what I see_

_that a treasure's what you are_

_if you could see, what I see_

_Created to be_

_the only one for me_

_If you could see_

_then you'd understand_

_why I fall down to my knees_

_and I pray my love_

_will be worthy of_

_the one who gave his life_

_so our love could be_

_If you could see_

_what I see_

_If you could see_

_What I see_

_You're created to be_

_The perfect one for me_

_If you could seeWhat I see_

_**"Who are you? Where am I?"**_

_**"I'm Clark Kent. And you're in Smallville." "I want to go home."**_

_If beauty is all_

_in the eye_

_of the beholder then I_

_am beholding_

_true beauty_

When I was done, everyone applauded, and I could see tears in Chloe's eyes, and I knew that she knew that I meant every word in the songs. However, Whitney pulled me aside and asked if I really felt that way about Chloe. "Whitney, Chloe is my heart, my soul, my everything! If the entire world died, leaving only Chloe and I, I would be still be happy. But if she died, I would be _nothing._ So you tell me if I meant it." The dance ended about an hour later, and when we walked out, we were shocked to find the football jocks' cars stacked one on top of another, with Whitney's in the middle of the pile. But I noticed something else, a stream of water, leading to another truck, crashed into the maintenance building, and the truck showed signs of having been flooded. I touched it, just to make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me, and I was electrocuted! When I got home, I sat down at the computer to try and work on my video, when I felt a surge of electricity travel from me to the computer. I started wondering what happened, and the video started playing! When I finally calmed down enough to watch the video, it had become exactly what I wanted to see: Lex just barely missing Clark, the roof being ripped off the Porsche, and Clark diving in after Lex. I was so pleased with myself, that I just went to bed without giving my apparent new ability a second thought.

**October 20, 2001**

Chloe, Pete and I went to the Farmer's Market together, meeting Clark at his family's booth, Chloe giving a 'Hail the Homecoming King and Queen' when Lana and Whitney showed up. Lex showed up a few minutes later at their truck, just as Clark was watching Whitney and Lana leave. "Can't knock your taste in women. Want to tell me what happened last night?"

"It was just a stupid prank."

"You were tied to a stake in the middle of a field. Even the Romans saved that for special occasions. You could have died out there."

"I appreciate your help. I just want to forget it ever happened."

"Hey, Clark! What is the hold-up son?"

"Mr. Kent, it's good to see you."

"Lex." Mr. Kent shook his hand, and walked off without saying another word to Lex or even grabbing a bushel of produce.

"Well, at least I got a handshake this time." Lex then grabbed an apple and took a bite.

I figured that would be a good time to get to know Lex so I jumped in. "You also got that apple, Lex."

"Hey, David. Say, what do you know about Clark and the jock?"

"Who, Whitney?" Seeing Lex's confusion, I said "The blonde jock with the brunette on his arm? There's not much _to_ tell. Mostly, Clark is jealous of Whitney because he has the two things Clark wants most in this life: football and Lana Lang. Mr. Kent won't let Clark try out for football, and he's in love with Lana, so no luck there."

"I take it Lana is the brunette?" I nodded. "How long has Clark been in love with Lana?"

"Honestly, I can't remember a time when he _didn't_ love Lana. Why?"

"I'm trying to think of a way to repay Clark for saving my life. I tried sending him a new truck, but he turned it down."

"Yeah, that's Clark for you. He'll help anyone out of a jam, even Whitney, but when you try to thank him, he says that it was nothing. He is one of the most selfless people I know."

**November 1, 2001**

Over the next week, Greg Arkin became a bit of trouble when his bug collection "staged a revolt" and turned him into a bug-boy. First, he attacked Whitney (actually, we don't know for sure, but it's a definite possibility,) then he attacked Clark. After that, he killed his mom and turned his home into his nest-when the four of us investigated it, it was covered with cobwebs and there was dead skin in the bathtub, something his neat-freak of a mother would never have allowed. Then, for the final straw, he kidnapped Lana and tried to mate with her, until Clark stopped him. This week, I published his obituary, ending it with one of Ezra Small's prophecies that seemed to point to Greg: _Eightfold survivor of millennia, Spins destruction and mayhem, Eats, molts, dies. _Naturally Chloe made one of her articles the top story: _Football: Sports or Abuse?_ with a large picture of Coach Walt Arnold yelling at one of the players. Apparently, some people were sending her hate mail because of it, primarily Walt. Then I got a tingling feeling at the base of my neck, time seemed to slow to a crawl and I could see a football moving towards Chloe, about to hit her camera, so I grabbed Chloe and pulled her down to the ground, just as Clark grabbed the football. Pete did nothing about it except to congratulate Clark and I on our reflexes "Nice reflexes? That's all you can say after one of your _friends,_" I spat the word out, "tried to kill Chloe! I can't believe you!"

Not an hour later, Walt attempted to coerce me and Clark into joining the team, but I turned him down. "Between the farm and the _Torch_, I don't have the time. Besides, I'd rather report on events than make them happen." Clark on the other hand, caved in.

**November 9, 2001**

We eventually found out that Coach Walt had pyrokinetic abilities, given to him from meteor rocks used in his sweat box, and enhanced by his explosive temper. When I went to confirm my suspicions, I got that same tingling feeling when I got near the sweat box. When I looked closer, I noticed some meteor rocks near the door, apparently there was someone locked inside the sweat box, and if I had to guess, it was probably Clark. My guess was confirmed when Mr. Kent broke in the door and pulled Clark out of the sweat box. Then Walt attacked them, but Clark managed to push him into the showers-after walking through a wall of fire. In the meantime, I turned the showers on with a shot of electricity, hoping to put out the fires. But I'd forgotten about the pyrotechnic sprinklers from two nights before and Walt burned himself alive. I printed his obituary the next issue, again ending with a fitting prophecy from Ezra Small: _Burning with a winner's passion, He blazes new trails on the field, But no flame can last forever._ Also that week, I helped Lex out of a jam he'd gotten into concerning his father and the plant. Lionel had insisted that he fire 20% of his workforce to cut down on costs, so I pointed him in a direction that allowed him to cut down on costs without costing a single job.

Today, however, I was treated to an even stranger sight, as I saw Lex running out of the bank with a backpack that seemed to fit one of my classmates more than a billionaire. What was even odder was that he didn't seem to recognize me, and he threw me into a building with a strength that seemed more akin to Clark's. But when I hit the building, I saw Lex as living light, but only two colors made him up, and it wasn't even him. If I didn't know any better, I'd have sworn that it was Tina Greer; and she was made up of two colors of light: orange, with just a tinge of yellow. I don't know how, but I knew that the colors represented emotions: the dominating orange light was avarice, while the touch of yellow was fear.

At first I chalked it up to a hallucination, until the next morning when I was having breakfast with the Kent's-they still don't know that I know at least some of their secret (I say some because I still don't know how Clark got his abilities.) Anyway, Lex came by while we were discussing what happened at the bank, and Clark asked why he wasn't in jail. "Because I was hosting a reception for 200 fertilizer distributors in Metropolis at the time of the robbery." I had my second flash while I was looking at Clark and Lex. This time, Lex looked like himself, but his colors were completely different: most of him was filled with green-will, there was a buried seed of orange-avarice, a small hint of red-rage and a small sliver of blue-hope. Clark was mostly blue, indigo-compassion, green, and a small sliver of yellow-fear. I spent most of school that day learning to control my new ability, eventually mastering it to the point that I just needed to think about it, and I could use this "spectrum vision," and I learned that there were seven emotions, each one corresponding to an emotion: red to rage, orange to avarice, yellow to fear, green to will, blue to hope, indigo to compassion, and violet to love.

The next day, I was walking by the antique store when I saw Clark try to run Martha over. I knew that that was not something Clark would normally do, so I switched to my other sight, and I saw Tina Greer, but this time the orange light of avarice was diminished to a sliver, she was now dominated by red.

**October 12, 2001**

I was working in the _Torch_ office with Chloe when Lana came in looking for a copy of the 1977 graduation speech. "Saturday Night Fever was their prom theme, Styx won group of the century, and . . . wow. Someone got in the administrations' collective face."

Lana read the note that the _Torch_ editor ran that year instead of the speech. "Due to the controversial nature of this year's graduation address, the editors have elected not to run the text in this year's edition of the _Torch._"

"Meaning ironically it's probably the only one worth reading. You know, I may be able to track something down for you. Do you know who gave this speech?"

"It was Ms. Laura Potter, Lana's mom."

Lana was surprised when I answered instead of letting her. "How did you know that? Do you have a copy of the speech?"

"I can do better than that. Give me a few days and I'll get you a tape of it."

When I went home, I had a revelation: I could be a real force for good in this town. With my vision enhancements, I could identify criminals just by their emotions, and with my electricity, I could mete out judgment. But I needed something to hide my identity; I started thinking about possibilities, when I remembered something I read: criminals are naturally superstitious and cowardly. Knowing this, I designed a suit that I hoped would fill criminals with fear at the mere sight of it: essentially, it was no more than a black leather trench coat with a hood large enough to hide my facial features, black gloves, and a black shirt and jeans. But it was missing _something_, I just didn't know what. That's when I thought of the blue ring that I'd found in the attic about two years ago, with a stylized 'S' inside a pentagon-shaped diamond, and I added the ring to the costume. Now that was absolutely _perfect_, I added a blue version of it to the shirt, and I had it. But for now, I would just have to hide in the shadows.

Now, I didn't know Tina very well, but I did know Lana so I knew exactly where she would be this time of the night. I donned a set of black clothes and a ski mask, grabbed a voice modulator (hey, you never know when you might need one!) and I jumped to the cemetery, just in time to see Whitney attack Clark. I figured something had to be wrong because ever since the Scarecrow incident, Whitney had been on thin ice on the Clark issue. So I switched to ESV (Emotional Spectrum Vision) and I realized that I could not only tell that it was Tina, but that I could see as easily in the dark as I could in the light. By then Tina had thrown Clark into a tombstone and was preparing to try and bash his head in, so I shot her with a bolt of electricity, while Clark threw her into a tree, where she fell unconscious, reverting back to Tina. "Hey! Who are you!"

I was surprised he was giving me any attention at all, considering Lana was still missing. "It's not who I am, but what I do that defines me."

"What's that supposed to mean? I want your name!"

"I'm a friend, that's all you need to know. But if you need a name . . . you can call me Shade." And I jumped away, before Clark could ask any more questions.

**A/N: **Well, that's that. Sorry about the wait, but I've got more appreciative fans to keep happy, so I've been working on their stories more. I had hoped to publish this just before _Lazarus_ premiered, but it didn't work out that way. If this works out the way I plan, then there will be a total of five parts to this story, each part covering two seasons. And, to finish this: _**READ AND REVIEW!**_


	6. Author's Note

I'm sorry, I know how much you guys _**HATE**_ Author's Notes as chapters, but there _is_ a good reason for this. On November 11, I lost the flash drive with all my work on it. I will probably be searching for it for the next week, but after that, I'll be rewriting my chapters. So, unless I'm lucky, don't expect anything for about two weeks or so. Again, sorry!


	7. VeV Ltd

**A/N:** So sorry about the long wait, but with chapters this long, it does take a while, especially considering Fate seems to only allow me to work on this story on Fridays. Anyway, here's chapter six-**READ AND REVIEW, PLEASE!**

**The Veritas Saga**

**Part I: Origins**

**Chapter Six: VeV Ltd.**

**November 12, 2001**

It was about a month after Tina was sent to Belle Reve Sanitarium, we were walking to the bus, together for once, when Clark asked if Sean called Chloe. "_What? _Please tell me you don't mean _Kelvin_!"

"Negative" she replied. "Not that I was waiting by the phone or anything." Pete tried to cheer her up with a family story that was fairly similar, while Chloe said she was fine. Clark was the one that finally gave me an answer when he said "Well, you're better off anyway, Sean's a total dog anyway." Definitely Kelvin.

"You're wrong Clark" I said. He looked at me strange, as if to say _I thought you'd agree with me_. "Kelvin's worse than a dog, he's a worm. At least a dog is loyal. All a worm does is ruin things for others."

"He's not that bad, guys. He's always been cool to me. Just because you can't get past your Lana crush, don't knock the rest of us for trying to make a love connection."

"I thought we were focusing on me here."

"I don't have a crush on Lana."

Then their little argument got a little on the sore side for me, 'cause Pete actually suggested that he take Chloe out on a date. Naturally, Chloe jumped in and defended herself. "Ok, wait. I'm not a crash test dummy you can use to try out your dating skills. You, if you like Lana so much, just ask her out. And you, stop acting like a Vegas bookie picks your dates. And both of you, treat me better."

"Way to go Chloe!" I said. "But would you please not even speak to Sean? Everyone I've talked to says that he's bad news, that he's just like Lionel Luthor."

"Wow. Don't you think that's a little harsh."

"I thought so, until they explained it. Sean and Lionel act nice, but once they've gotten from you what they want, they leave you to fend for yourself. Some of the girls even say that when he got them pregnant, he refused to do anything for them, even insisting they have an abortion."

"Well, that is legal, you know."

"Yeah, I know. Legal mass murder. 5,000 murders a day, who'd have thought the government could be so ruthless."

**November 13, 2001**

Chloe and I were working late at the _Torch_, when we heard a noise that Chloe immediately thought was Sean. We walked out and found thousands of rose petals on the floor of the hallway. Chloe asked me not to follow, but I couldn't _not_ follow. It was a good thing I did, because the trail of petals led to the pool, where Sean locked the door and then revealed himself to be worse than a worm, he was a parasite. He couldn't stay warm, so he absorbed the heat from others, when I looked at him with my ESV, he was completely orange, nothing but greed. He pushed Chloe into the pool, and then sucked the heat from the pool. I was so furious that I wanted to kill Sean, and I blasted the door open with a bolt of electricity. However, that wasn't the only thing that blew up-the ice that completely covered the pool also blew up, shattering into a thousand pieces. Fortunately, Clark was there, and he pushed Sean into the pool, which quickly froze around Sean. The next day, I published his obituary, ending with yet another prophecy: _In seeking warmth, He obliterates it , An icy tomb seals his fate ._

**January 13, 2002**

Over the next couple of months, there were a few more incidents with the meteor-infected, including one that got me up on stage again. One of our fellow students, Jodi Melville, was teased because she was overweight, and because of that, she used a meteor-enhanced vegetable smoothie to lose weight. After she was taken to a hospital, I sang a song that I hoped would lessen the amount of bullying that went on in the school; the song was called _Don't Laugh at Me_ by Mark Willis. After that, a group of kids caught me, asking if I'd join their band, cause they were short a male lead singer, and they thought it would really help with college applications. I turned them down, I had enough on my plate as it was.

Anyway, today Clark and I were going to the opening of a new wing (courtesy of LuthorCorp,) of the Metropolis Museum, at Lex's invitation. While I was there, I ran into someone who actually seemed to know me, even though I _know_ I've never seen him before. "Hi, David. I've been looking for you."

"Um, hi. Who are you?"

"My name is James Wilkinson, I'm the CEO of VeV Ltd. I used to work for a man that I believe is your father."

"My father. Great. Listen, I don't want to know anything about my father, he's a jerk."

"I mean, your biological father."

"What? What do you mean?"

"You look so much like my former boss, Jacob Rosenzweig. If you are who I think you are, you're about to become one of the richest men alive."

"Why do you think that I am who you think I am?"

"You're from Smallville, right? Well, twelve years ago, Jacob went to Smallville to observe the meteor shower. Last anyone heard, he was on Lookout Hill."

"There is no Lookout Hill around Smallville."

"Not anymore. It's now a lake, Crater Lake, I believe is what you call it."

"I was found near Crater Lake!" He asked me for a few strands of hair, and I gladly gave it to him. If I could get some information about my birth parents, well, I'd give anything for that! Then Lex showed up.

"Why were you talking to Wilkinson, David?"

"You know him, Lex?"

"Unfortunately. He's the head of VeV Ltd, the biggest competition of LexCorp. The company used to be very compassionate, but ever since it's owner died, well, let's just say that my father would get along with Wilkins."

"So his interest in me, what do you make of it?"

"What _is_ his interest in you?"

"He thinks I might be the long-lost son of the owner of the company. Apparently they have reason to believe Mr. Rosenzweig was in Smallville the day of the meteors."

"In that case, I think that he's probably looking to take control of the company. But I have to admit, it is possible that you are his son. I've seen pictures of Rosenzweig, and there is definitely a resemblance. The same olive skin, same bronze hair, same hawk-like nose, you even have the same extraordinary blue eyes."

"So, what? Should I have given him a DNA sample? And what should I do if it turns out that I am his son?"

"Oh, no. You did the right thing giving him those hairs. As for what happens after, well, that depends on two things: the results, and Wilkinson's response."

**January 14, 2002**

The next day, Chloe, Clark and I were working in the _Torch_ office when Principal Kwan came in criticizing her for her research into the meteor rocks, especially with her latest article: _Smallville: Mutant Capitol of the World_. "Concerned parents have been calling all morning."

"Well, what have you been telling them?"

"What the EPA and other environmental groups said years ago: the meteor rocks are harmless."

"People have a right to know about the strange things that happen in this town!"

"The _Torch_ is a school paper. It's not your own personal tabloid. Which reminds me, David, why do you insist on publishing these so-called 'prophecies' in your articles? There is nothing to support your theory that they tell the future."

"Principal Kwan, every time I publish one of Ezra's prophecies, it's because it's come true! Like Chloe said, the people have a right to know."

"I'm relieving both of you of your duties. And David, you are never going to write for this paper again as long as I am principal here. The_ Torch_ is suspended until I can appoint a new editor." Kwan left the room, with all of us watching him in shock.

I recovered first, "Okay, did what I think just happen actually happen?"

"I think you two just got fired," Pete said. Chloe and I couldn't have been in more shock. We were the ones that had brought the_ Torch_ back to life, yet Kwan actually _fired_ us for doing our jobs! As soon as school let out, I jumped to the farm, and practiced my new gift by blowing up effigies of Kwan.

**January 15, 2002**

The next day, the I got a letter from VeV Ltd, so I went to the Beanery so I could avoid my foster-parents. The results had come in, and it was confirmed, I was the son of Jacob Rosenzweig. I was now the richest man in the country, net worth, about $250 _billion_ dollars, in cash, _after_ taxes. I also inherited controlling interest in VeV Ltmd, with the power to send the company in any direction that I saw fit. But there was something odd about the letter: it had not come from Wilkinson. It had actually come from the VP of VeV, a Ms. Sarah Sadusky.

I was about to go home, when I noticed Mr. Kent talking to someone. The guy was whispering, but I could still make out what he was saying. "Of course, if you don't agree, I will tell the world what I know. Best case, Clark's under a microscope. Worst case, he's a freak in a jar. Either way, his normal life is over." Understandably, Mr. Kent grabbed him and threw him against the table, warning him not to push him. I couldn't blame him at all, I was thinking about doing something similar, if I'd had my Shadow suit ready.

On my way home, I ran into Chloe, who told me that Lana had managed to convince Kwan to reopen the paper, but had put Lana in charge. "It actually sounds like a good deal, Chloe. Think about it, Lana knows nothing about running the _Torch_, and she knows nothing about being a reporter. The only difference is that Lana would be getting the credit, and we'd have to write under pen names. I've even thought of a good first article for one of us: _Kwan Crushes Freedom of the Press_."

"Thanks, David. I needed that, I blew up at Lana when she told me. It's just that, it's the one thing that I do with Clark, and I was afraid that if she cut me out of that, that he'd outgrow me as a friend."

"Chloe, that's ridiculous. A wise man once said that there are two kinds of girls: the kind you grow _out of_, and the kind you grow _into_. You are definitely one of the latter. The only way Clark and I can outgrow you is the way we already have, and that's vertically."

"Again, thanks. If I _knew_ that you really sang how you felt about me at Homecoming, I think you'd win my heart."

"And why don't you think that I was speaking from my heart?"

"Look at me. I'm short, I'm not as pretty as the other girls, I'm provocative. That first song was right, I'm not what any guy pictures in their fantasies."

"Chloe, you clearly don't see yourself clearly. You have a beautiful soul, you honestly want to help people-that's why you're a reporter. You look after others before yourself, you give with no thought of what you could gain from it. You're loyal to your friends, you give honest opinions, and you're quick to forgive. How could any guy not fall for you? Although I've got to admit, I'm glad that others don't see it, otherwise I'd get jealous."

That night, I heard a voice calling my name, almost whispering _David Rosenzweig._ I walked around, listening, hoping it would grow louder. Eventually I found it, it was actually coming from my ring! _David Rosenzweig of Sector 2814, you have great hope in your heart, and you have the ability to instill hope in others. Welcome to the Blue Lantern Corps._ I put it on, and it created a black-and-blue uniform, with an unusual symbol on the chest. The black was ice-cold, and the blue was warm, just warm enough to be comfortable, no matter the weather. I looked in the mirror, and it wasn't so bad. I had a small blue mask around my eyes (the kind you always wonder how they stay put,) my torso was covered in blue, except for that strange symbol, with my arms and legs covered in black, with white gloves and blue boots. "Not bad, but I'd prefer something a little different." I pictured my dream costume, and wouldn't you know it, only a few seconds later, and I had my costume, one that was literally made for me.

**January 16, 2002**

The next day brought news that I thought I'd never hear, Jonathan Kent had been arrested for murder! I knew Phelan had to be involved, I'd made some discreet calls about him and I found him to be a man without morals, someone who would do absolutely _anything_ to get a job done. There was also a 95% chance that he was a dirty cop, on the payroll of Lionel Luthor. I tried talking to Clark about it, but he wouldn't say anything. That night, Shade kept watch over the Kent farm, until Phelan came by and picked Clark up. I ran behind them as fast as I could go (only about 100 mph) until they arrived at the Metropolis Museum. There, Phelan had Clark shut down the security systems, but I decided to hack in using my electrical abilities and watched through the surveillance system. Phelan stole a golden breastplate that used to belong to Alexander the Great, then Clark tossed it out through the window, where some police were waiting, with Lex? What in the world was _he_ doing here?

By now, Phelan had gotten really mad, and tried to shoot Clark, but he just avoided the bullet, and ran away in a blur. That gave me an idea, and I edited the video, showing a red-blue blur grabbing the breastplate out of Phelan's hands and outside, then coming back to carry Clark out of the museum. While I was doing that, the cops came in and shot Phelan. Well, that's one loose end tied up, permanently. Hopefully that means that no one besides me and the Kents know about Clark's abilities. At least, no one who's not in a mental institute.

**January 17, 2002**

The next day, I found an issue of the _Torch_, with a headline story of _Kwan Crushes Freedom of Speech_, by Lana Lang? Well, now _this_ was interesting, especially considering Chloe and I hadn't seen Lana since the day Kwan hired Lana. When I found Chloe, I found out that Chloe had been reinstituted as editor, and I could still work at the _Torch_, but I still couldn't write.

**January 25, 2002**

About a week later, Lana was running a blood drive for the Red Cross, and cornered us in the Beanery. Lana got Chloe to put her down at 9:45 the next day, and Clark offered to help out. "What about you, David? When can I put you down for?"

"Um, you can't."

"Why not?"

"I've got a . . . blood problem."

"Listen, you don't even see the blood. You don't need to worry about it."

"Huh? What are you . . . Oh, you think I get sick when I see blood? That's funny Lana."

"Then what do you mean by a blood problem?"

I looked at them, "I'll tell you . . . IF all three of you promise not to tell _anyone_." They all agreed, and I asked for the pin that I knew Chloe always carried with her. I took it, and a shot glass that was nearby, and winced as I stabbed myself with the pin.

"David! What the hell are you doing?"

"You guys wanted to know what I meant by a blood problem, this is my answer." Then they noticed my blood, which I made sure would go inside the glass.

"It's . . . _clear_. As clear as water. Okay, what's with that?"

"I don't know Chloe, but I know it has something to do with the meteors."

Lana and Clark were confused. "What are you talking about? Your blood's clear, but the meteor rocks are green. How can they be connected?"

"Well, Lana, I'd answer that, if you had your necklace here. My blood has an . . . interesting reaction to the meteor rocks."

Lana reached inside her purse and pulled out an intricate lead box. "It just so happens, that I do have my necklace with me."

"All right, just let me back away before you get it out." She waited while Clark and I pulled back, and then she pulled out her necklace. Immediately, my blood turned a sickly green color and started boiling. Clark couldn't have been more shocked.

"You have a curious definition of _interesting_, David. But that still doesn't explain why you can't donate for Lana."

"Well, Clark, it's simple. You remember last week, when I talked to a guy from VeV Ltd? They did some tests on my blood, and it turns out that if more than a few drops of my blood mixes with someone who has normal blood, than that person will get a serious case of leukemia. I'd say that makes me more dangerous to the populace than someone who gives blood and has AIDS, don't you?" Lana couldn't blame me for that, and let me off the hook.

**February 5, 2002**

By the time a week had passed, I had taken control of VeV Ltd. and fired Wilkinson and replaced him with Sadusky. Luckily I was able to keep it from my money-grubbing foster-parents. And that day Lana and Clark had worked with me to get Chloe to go with us on a horseback ride. She had a little trouble, but I managed to help her gain control of her horse. We had gone a good distance when Chloe mentioned that she'd dropped her camera. Lana said that she'd get it, and I decided to join her, just in case (Chloe had told me about some strange things happening in the woods.) We had just found her camera, when a squirrel ran past Lana's horse, spooking it. Lana was thrown from the horse, and I was almost thrown. By the time I calmed my horse down, Kyle Tippet had come by and was trying to rouse Lana. "Thanks, Kyle."

"No problem, kid." Just then, Clark ran up, and yelled at him to get away from Lana.

Later that day, I noticed that Bob Rickman had come to town, apparently planning on expanding his company to Smallville. "Well, well. Bob Rickman. And what brings you to the Meteor Capital of the World?"

"I'm expanding here, kid. What's it to you?"

"One, it's my home and I don't want you poisoning it. Two, it looks like you're planning on buying the home of my best friend. And three, my company is planning on expanding here."

"Your company?"

"Yes. VeV Ltd. I'm sure you've heard of it."

"Oh, so you're the bastard son of old Jacob Rosenzweig." He offered me his hand, and I took it. I noticed an odd, tingling feeling as I shook his hand, and I noticed that his eyes briefly flashed green.

"Hey, Rickman? What happened?"

"I just tried to use my ability on you."

"Huh? What ability?" Unfortunately he woke up out of whatever trance he had been in and told me to "get lost, kid."

**February 6, 2002**

The next day I saw an article in the _Ledger_ titled: _Local Hermit Arrested_. I couldn't believe it, Kyle seemed like such a nice guy, why would anyone arrest him? "Tippet hasn't broken hermit status in years and all of a sudden he's Smallville's most wanted."

"Something must have made him snap."

Clark suggested a connection between Kyle and Rickman, and Chloe and I decided to look into it. Kyle was a nice guy and I wanted to help him. Then Lana came in, and she looked mad. "Hey, Lana. What's wrong?"

"Can you guys give us a minute?" Chloe and Pete left immediately, but I insisted on staying. I claimed that I was in the middle of a story and couldn't get too big of an interruption. Luckily she bought the lie, and let me stay. (I don't know why she did, all I could do these days is ghost write, and I do all of that at home. Not that I actually wrote much at _The Torch_ to begin with.) "Whitney said you accused him of attacking Kyle."

"I didn't accuse him. I just have some questions." So did I. Attacking Kyle because of that incident in the woods sounded like something Whitney would do. But Kyle just attacking Whitney? I couldn't see it. They got into an argument, culminating in Lana saying that Whitney wouldn't attack anyone. "He strung me up in a field."

"So that's what this is about? You haven't forgiven him."

"Oh, be nice Lana. He was just saying that Whitney can and has attacked someone with little or no provocation. That doesn't mean that Clark hasn't forgiven him. It just means that he hasn't forgotten. Besides, Clark's right. Kyle doesn't seem like a violent person, just someone who wants to be left alone. I've spent some time with him, and he's actually a nice guy."

Lana glared at me and said, "Oh, butt out of this, David. This was supposed to be a private conversation." Lana left a few minutes later.

"It's hard being Atticus, isn't it, Clark?"

"Who?"

"Atticus Finch from _To Kill a Mockingbird._ He's easily one of the most likable fictional characters out there. He's a small town lawyer, brutally honest, highly moral, an extremely opinionated tireless crusader for good causes, even hopeless ones, a virtual pacifist, and, for the most part, devoid of any of the prejudices that were common in the fifties and sixties. Sound familiar? In the novel, he's defending a black man on trial for raping a white woman. Him and his family are constantly insulted for that, but he refuses to give up the good fight. Huh, you're even in the same kind of situation with Kyle." He had to agree with me there, and said that he'd pick up a copy of the novel next time he went to the library. "Not necessary, Clark. I've got a copy here." I pulled it out of the drawer. I gave it to him, and insisted he keep it. I wouldn't have minded at all, I probably had three _good_ copies of it around my house, let alone all the worn out copies that I left scattered around Smallville.

A few hours later, I was passing by the Kent's place when I heard Rickman talking to Jonathan. I activated my ESV and looked in the direction of the conversation. Rickman was nothing but avarice, while Jonathan was filled with will and a touch of rage. Can't say I blame him, who wouldn't be mad about someone trying to buy the home that his family had been living in for more than 100 years? But then Rickman shook his hand, and all the will and rage drained out of Jonathan, leaving him pure white, something that I instinctively knew was life. "Now are you sure I can't convince you to change your mind?" And before I knew it, Jonathan signed the papers and sold the farm to Rickman!

**February 7, 2002**

Chloe, Clark and I met Lex at the Beanery the next day to discuss what we'd found out about Rickman and Kyle. "So, I spent the morning delving into the exciting world of agriculture equipment and it seems that Kyle and Rickman were partners back in the mid '80s."

"They sold farm equipment?"

"Yeah, they were salesmen of the year three years running, '89, '90, '91."

I noticed something. "Hey, that started the year of the meteor shower."

"Yeah, apparently they were trapped in their car when the meteor shower started. Anyway, in '92 Rickman started his own company and Kyle went _Walden._"

We went to talk to Kyle about what happened (apparently Clark had helped him escape jail the previous night and hid him at Lex's.) But Kyle had escaped, and the nurse didn't even know who he was. Chloe, Clark and I left the mansion and headed out to Kyle's little hideaway in the woods. When we finally got him to talk, he explained that before they had been the worst salesmen in history. But after the meteor shower, they could get people to do whatever they wanted, and if they couldn't, they'd keep trying until they succeeded or were snapped out of it, and they would have no memory of doing it. Chloe demanded proof, and Kyle took her hand, saying "You have feelings for Clark, don't you Chloe? _You see him...and you want him, All this time you've been hiding it , Now's your chance to show him _." To my shock, she kissed Clark, and then turned and said that she was ready.

"Um, Chloe? He's kind of made his point."

Then she realized what happened. "Oh, God. I kissed one of you, didn't I?"

"Unfortunately." She looked at me in shock. "You kissed Clark, Chloe. Can you blame me for being just a little upset?" With that little demonstration, I decided to go see Rickman, one last time.

"What do you want, kid?"

Hmm, as rude as ever. Which just made what I was about to do so much easier. "I just wanted to say 'goodbye' to you, Rickman. And 'congratulations'."

"Why goodbye?"

"Well, you've got what you wanted, so you're leaving aren't you? What do you say to a goodbye handshake?" Naturally, he agreed, and this time I was prepared. "Now, listen here Rickman. I want you to tear up the Kent contract, leave Smallville, and then sell your company to VeV Ltd. Once you've done that, you are going to kill yourself. Understood?" He nodded. "Oh, and one more thing. You must act like yourself while you're doing this." He nodded once more.

**February 8, 2002**

The next day, the _Ledger_ had an article with Rickman's suicide in it, and Sarah told me about the recent acquisition of Rickman Industries. She also mentioned that all of his plants were extremely dangerous to the environment. "Shut them all down until you can get a team in those plants and get them running clean. I don't care how much money we lose by not having the plants running, they are going to go clean." She acknowledged the order and hung up.


End file.
